Dauntless: Sidestories
by Allora Gale
Summary: One-shot sidestories or scenes that were cut out of Dauntless for one reason or another. Includes OC pov's.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I wrote this because L.L. asked really nicely and agreed to one of my requests. It takes place after the last pov of Chapter 49 in Dauntless.

Sidestory 1

"So, is he pissed at me?" Roy asked, waiting in the foyer of the modest house Hector had been given as a residence.

"Pissed, yes. But not at you." Hector answered as he shrugged out of his jacket. "He'd locked himself away with some of Prince Clovis' brandy collection for who knows how long. He was definitely more loose lipped than usual."

Roy quirked his brow. The prince didn't seem like the type to drown his sorrow in the drink. But then, he was still young and Roy was more than aware that most kids his age were drinking themselves to the point of puking every chance they got. For Lelouch to indulge on the eve of his brother's funeral wasn't anything he could judge. After all, he'd done more than his fair share of underaged drinking (and puking) before he'd straightened himself out and joined the military.

"Oh? Did he say anything interesting?" Roy asked, his curiosity piqued.

"A few things."

He frowned. "You're not going to tell me?"

Hector nodded, throwing him one of his characteristic smirks. "I'm not going to tell you." He agreed. "Anyway, it's probably safer for both of us that way."

Now his curiosity really was piqued. Lelouch had been _that_ loose lipped? "So what _can_ you tell me?" Roy asked, following his friend into the kitchen and helping himself to one of the beers in the fridge.

"We don't need to worry about Kururugi." Hector answered, fetching himself his own beer and the ingredients to a ham and cheese sandwich.

Roy's eyes narrowed. It wasn't that he didn't like the little punk, but it was obvious he was only using Lelouch for his own gain. Okay, so he did dislike the kid, but it wasn't just because he was an Eleven. After the way Lelouch had dealt with von Hoffman, they'd all learned pretty quickly that the prince wouldn't put up with discrimination against the Numbers.

"We don't?" He asked.

Hector shook his head. "They're old friends. I guess you could kind of consider Kururugi a foster brother. In any case, the prince trusts him completely. He's not the one we need to be worried about."

"Then who do we need to worry about?" He asked suspiciously, though he could guess. The only other person close to Lelouch that was a cause for concern was . .

"That girl. C.C.." Hector said darkly. "I asked him if she was blackmailing him and he said that it was 'something like that'. He told us to keep an eye on her."

"So she's not some crazy ex-girlfriend from his old school?" He asked.

"Dunno." Hector shrugged. "Maybe. I doubt it. I think she tried to come off that way, but he wouldn't play along with her." His friend hesitated. "I'm pretty sure she touched his wound. Kid looked like he was about to jump out of his skin before he knocked her over. He didn't even ask if she was okay before shooing me out."

"Yeah, well if someone poked me in a gunshot wound, I wouldn't exactly be amiable either." Roy snorted.

"Either way, keep an eye on her. I'll be telling the others the same thing tomorrow." Hector said.

"Sure. Anything else you can tell me?" He asked. Hector had been gone for a while. He wondered how much time they'd spent actually talking about things that could be repeated, rather than the prince's secrets.

Hector snorted. "You know, a month ago you'd have made some kind of rude comment about Lelouch being blinded by a pretty piece of ass. Now you just take it in stride."

"Yeah, well I do kind of owe the kid." He shrugged. He'd been deliberately trying to tone down some of the more aggravating comments that immediately came to mind since Lelouch had saved his life.

Hector frowned, his expression turning dark and serious. "Yeah, you do. Even if he was an idiot -"

"I know, alright." Roy snapped, cutting him off. "We've had this discussion before. He should have let me die."

They glared at each other for a moment. He knew that Hector didn't mean that he wished he'd died. In fact, he knew Hector was glad he was still alive and kicking. But that wasn't what this was about.

If Prince Lelouch had died – hell, even if he'd been badly wounded – in the process of saving him, it would have been unforgivable. He and Hector were friends, they had been for years, but they both knew that either one of them could die at a moment's notice. It was the price of being a soldier.

However, when Hector had sworn himself to Lelouch, he'd made the decision to put Lelouch at the fore of every decision. He doubted now that even Luke was more important to Hector. Though, according to Hector, Lukas was just as fanatic in his loyalty to Lelouch.

If he were ever given a choice, Roy knew that Hector would choose Lelouch over him every time. They were friends and Roy would follow Hector into hell and back (in fact, he'd done just that quite a few times), but Lelouch was their prince and lord.

Really, when he forced himself to think about it, swearing himself to Lelouch had also been a way to keep close tabs on Hector. It hadn't just been about the gratitude or the life debt he owed the young prince. Even though Hector had decided to devote himself to watching Lelouch's back, he'd still need someone watching his.

That someone just so happened to be Roy, as it had always been. Ever since they'd both been deployed as green rookies into the massacre of Area Thirteen and had been scarred in more ways than either of them ever wanted to think about. Ever since Hector had so easily accepted him despite knowing that he was gutter trash that had escaped into the military to avoid following his brother's footsteps straight into an eight by eight cell.

He finished his beer, glaring at Hector as he let the carbonated liquid slide down his throat. He knew damned well that his life wasn't worth nearly as much as a prince's. He didn't need to be reminded every time the kid's stupid stunt came up in conversation. It wasn't like he'd asked the prince to throw himself at a god damned Bamide. Nor had he asked the prince to blow it up, catching them both in the fallout. That was just . . . stupid.

He took Hector's silence as agreement, as he knew he should. He should have died. He'd been trapped on the front of that monstrosity and hadn't been able to push off and get free. It should have been all over for him. In fact, at the time, he'd been prepared to die. He'd known, watching in an almost painful slow motion as the Bamide's mounted guns had swiveled around to target him, that in a few more seconds he'd be gone for good.

Instead, he'd been met with searing heat, flames and the most excruciating pain he'd ever felt emanating from his chest. Oh, and the prince frantically ordering him to report had completed the picture.

"Stupid brat." He grumbled more or less good naturedly as he reached for another beer out of the fridge.

"If you drink that, you'll be crashing on my couch tonight." Hector warned.

"I'll call a cab." He replied as he popped open the tab – mostly just to spite his friend.

"You're not leaving that crap car you bought in my driveway."

Roy quirked an eyebrow, not deigning to point out that whether he stayed or went, the car would remain in the same place. "Fine." He grumbled. "Sir." He added sarcastically. "But in that case, I'm going to drink all your beer and I will be passing out on your couch rather than deliberately staying over. This isn't a sleepover. We're not thirteen year old girls."

Hector laughed and let the serious mood that had fallen over them dissipate. "Yeah, well you could have fooled me with all that hair." He mocked in return before reaching for his own second beer. "And don't think I'm going to let you drink everything. I'm not dealing with you with a hangover tomorrow."

"Well then, you're just going to have to drink enough yourself to limit my intake." He challenged. He could go drink for drink with Hector easily, though he was pretty sure he was the one who always passed out first. Not that he thought it would get to that point. There was only a six-pack in the fridge and they both had to work in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Sidestory 2

Takes place between Chapters 53 and 54

Lloyd Asplund was a freaking _genius_. He'd scored at the top of every class he'd ever taken (except for that pesky mandatory fine arts class he'd been made to take in university), had over a hundred patents to his name and had been put in charge of his own research and development department. He'd _revolutionized_ the Knightmare Frame with the advent of the Lancelot and still he had to have some random engineer checking over his work like a child that was uncertain of his math homework.

He was developing a twitch.

It wasn't that he didn't like the man that had been sent to examine the Lancelot. As far as he could tell, Hansel von Hoffman was a capable engineer and was courteous almost to a fault. But the Lancelot was _his_ and he hated anyone else pawing at it with their grubby little fingers. Cecile, as his assistant and the Lancelot's co-creator, was the only person he felt perfectly comfortable leaving the Lancelot with unattended.

Which is why he found himself wasting an afternoon hovering over von Hoffman's shoulder as he completed one of the most thorough safety inspections Lloyd had ever seen (while listening to the not-so-quiet grumbles from Cecile about everything _else_ he could be doing). The man was even checking the chemical composition of the paint. It was ridiculous.

But it would be worth it when it passed and he got that Kururugi boy back in the cockpit. He'd never seen a pilot able to integrate with a machine so easily. It was almost uncanny. As if the boy had been _made_ to pilot the Lancelot.

Which is exactly how he thought of the boy - another component of his masterpiece.

It also didn't hurt that the boy had ties to the prince. He didn't know how, nor did he care. The only important part to him was that it had given him an in with the new Viceroy.

Clovis had disliked him from the start – something he attributed to a deep-seated dislike of the Prime Minister. It hadn't been his fault the two had never gotten along particularly well and he'd always thought it had been particularly unfair that just because Prince Schneizel was funding the A.S.E.E.C. meant his Lancelot was always given the backseat when it came to military operations.

But no longer.

Prince Lelouch was an ally of Schneizel's. He'd actually called the Prime Minister after their last meeting and checked – he'd been told to do what he could to help the younger prince in all his endeavors. For now. Which was all the encouragement he needed (not that he'd really needed any encouragement since he wouldn't have let that opportunity slip through his fingers anyway).

He had no idea how Kururugi had made it onto the prince's Royal Guard, nor did he have any idea how the two had seemed to get so close, but he really didn't care. It was good for him. It was good for the Lancelot. Surely the prince wouldn't face off against the Kenshiki Faction without the Lancelot if he could have it only by asking.

It was the world's most advanced Knightmare piloted by a member of his Royal Guard. There was no reason to refuse it.

And then he'd have all the combat data he could hope for. He had to stop himself from cackling.

"Hm." Von Hoffman hummed, head inside the access port to the inner mechanism of the Lancelot's right leg with a flashlight in hand. "This machine really is amazing. I've never seen one this streamlined before."

"Of course you haven't. This is a prototype. One of a kind!" Lloyd said airily.

"What about stress fractures?"

"The frame's made out of a lightweight titanium alloy." Lloyd explained. At least the man recognized the Lancelot's brilliance. He wasn't just treating it like some Sutherland straight off the assembly line. "All weight bearing parts are reinforced with lead."

"Huh." von Hoffman said, not even looking away from whatever he was examining.

Lloyd watched the man for another few minutes (supervising), before a thought occurred to him. "You were with Prince Lelouch in Area Eighteen, weren't you?"

Von Hoffman's oversized shoulders shrugged. "Yeah. I was responsible for keeping his and the rest of his squad's machines up and running. Lots of wear in the desert. Sand gets in everything."

Lloyd's grin suddenly widened. "Then you know what the mysterious super weapon the prince used on that fort was." He surmised, watching in delight as the man suddenly stiffened and smoked his head on the top on the access port.

"Ow." Von Hoffman grumbled as he rubbed his scalp and extricated himself from the Lancelot's inner workings.

Lloyd was still grinning. He'd thought about the attack Prince Lelouch had made on that fort dozens of times and still hadn't been able to come up with an adequate explanation. Of course, he'd been working with only second hand information and even that was pretty scarce. But he wanted to _know_.

It was a mystery. The cause of the destruction had never been released aside from the fact that it had been Prince Lelouch and five others that had initiated the strike on the fort in the middle of the night without Chief General Cornelia's approval (though that last little tidbit he'd only gotten from asking Prince Schneizel directly). Even the Prime Minister didn't know the full details (or so he claimed).

But Von Hoffman did.

The man had likely been there when they'd been preparing for the attack. Hell, the man had probably even handled the weapon.

"So . . ." He began, grinning madly. "Just between us engineers, what kind of weapon was it?"

And just as quickly as that, the prince's unfailingly polite engineer shut down, leaving only resolute determination behind. "I've been sworn to secrecy on that matter. Prince Lelouch is the only one allowed to divulge that information."

"Oho." Lloyd chucked. "It's that dangerous, is it?"

Von Hoffman didn't reply, his expression stony, so Lloyd decided to gamble a little.

"What if I told you that I already know what the weapon was? That it had been stolen from the Imperial Research and Development Department six months ago and -" But he cut off because he knew the man had called his bluff. Von Hoffman was wearing an amused smirk as opposed to the cold expression of a moment ago. " . . . you created it, didn't you?"

Von Hoffman nodded. "I created it."

"Tch." Lloyd sighed shamelessly. "Well there goes that plan."

"Lord Asplund, I suggest that you leave me to my work if you want the Lancelot to pass it's safety inspection."

He opened his mouth to respond before promptly closing it and turning on his heel. The nerve of the man! Taking his own Knightmare hostage! Threatening the future of Knightmare technology with disuse and a bad safety rating.

Oh, but the prince had chosen his mechanic well. He knew most of the engineers in Area Eleven. He commanded their respect. Well, they respected his genius. But _this _man, this von Hoffman, was a different story entirely. Even his title as Earl hadn't been able to put a dint in the man's untouchable demeanor. He was here on the prince's behalf, ensuring that the Lancelot was safe to pilot (which it was. He knew it was. He'd done his own safety inspection before von Hoffman had even been alerted. It would only look bad for him if the Lancelot exploded or malfunctioned in the field.), and wouldn't let himself be swayed from his task by any conversation. Nor would he give anything away.

His hands clenched. He wasn't sure if he actually liked the prince. The boy was smart. Too smart. He wasn't a genius like Lloyd (few people were), but the prince had enough smarts to manipulate the people around him into willing tools. It was a skill Clovis had always lacked.

It was a skill Schneizel excelled at.

He didn't want to be caught between the two, but here he was. On the one side, Prince Lelouch was pushing his own people into the A.S.E.E.C. - first Kururugi (though granted he'd been the one to practically drag the boy into the A.S.E.E.C. kicking and screaming) and now von Hoffman. On the other side, Prince Schneizel was pulling all of the A.S.E.E.C.'s stings.

He supposed they were all just lucky that the two princes seemed to get along.

* * *

AN: So I originally wanted to write this in Dauntless from Suzaku's pov, watching this all play out but it didn't really fit and Suzaku didn't really have an excuse for hanging around the A.S.E.E.C. headquarters anyway, what with all that's been happening. So this was my solution. Hope you enjoyed. Drop me a review, ya?

Also, I have an exam on Thursday and I'm moving on the 30th. Therefore, the next chapter or two of Dauntless may be delayed. However, I already have like 4 pages written of Chapter . . . whichever one comes next (54 I think) so I will hopefully feel motivated and have the time to sit down and finish that soon (instead of packing/studying).

Also also, if any of you haven't seen Durarara, I highly recommend it.

That is all.

^.^

Allora


	3. Chapter 3

~*~* For Komo Pineconeseed as thanks for all the fanarts! ~*~*

Takes place after the first scene in Chapter 60.

Sidestory 3

"I can't believe you lost to him." Hector sighed, leaning back in his seat. They were at the house that Lelouch had generously supplied his Captain of his Guard with, seated at the kitchen table after finishing dinner, but Hector had yet to slip out of his stance as Lukas' commanding officer.

Lukas bit back his annoyance, choosing instead to keep his cool. He knew his brother well enough to know that a single careless statement could send the both of them into an argument and he wasn't really in the mood for it tonight after the events of the last twenty four hours. Jet lag was a bitch.

"He dominated that fight." He sighed in agreement instead. "I think the only reason he didn't put me down on the first hit was for the sake of my pride. Though, you should try your hand at it if you think you can do better. After all, our family's honor is on the line." He finished sarcastically.

"Yeah right." Hector snorted. "I'm not going to let myself get knocked down by a seventeen year old. I have a reputation to maintain these days."

". . . He's only seventeen?" Lukas asked, nonplussed.

"Yeah, he's a few months younger than Lelouch." His brother nodded.

He felt his self-esteem plummet a little. "Really? I thought he just looked young. How's he even enlisted? I thought they made a special case for Lelouch because he was a prince."

Hector shrugged, then scowled. "He's a Number. They're not going to turn away fresh cannon fodder."

That was despicable. They didn't let the Numbers join the military back in the homeland, so it was new to him that they were allowed, as 'Honorary Britannians', to enlist in Area Eleven. But to treat them as such expendable resources disgusted him a bit.

"Did you see Meg about your arm?" Hector asked a few seconds later, changing the subject.

"Yeah, she's the one that patched me up." He answered. Their sister Megan served at the Gibraltar base as a doctor. She'd made the several hour trip to where he had been posted as soon as she'd heard about his injury. It hadn't been a pleasant visit. "And she already read me the riot act, so I don't need it from you too."

"Good, I won't say anything about it. Just know that your behaviour affects Lelouch now. If you're caught fighting, as a member of his Royal Guard, it will affect his reputation." Hector said.

"I know." He growled. "Jesus, you're making it sound like I went out there to pick a fight. We were ambushed. Everyone knows it's only a matter of time before we're at war with the E.U., the locals are really tense about it."

"Of course they are. It's their land and their people who will be killed in the conflict." Hector answered firmly. "But I'm glad that all you got out of the encounter was a broken arm. What about your assailants?"

His eyes narrowed slightly at the memory. Eight on five hadn't really been fair and he'd been one of the guys who'd been lucky enough to have to take on two. But Knights didn't get their titles just by sitting around and looking pretty. "They were just a bunch of angry civilians. We taught them a lesson then sent them home."

Hector nodded, glancing down at the folder on the table in front of him with a disapproving frown. "About your assignment. . ."

"What?" He asked, wondering what Hector could possibly object to about it. He'd been chosen to protect a princess. It was an honor.

"You realize that you're here only to protect her, not to befriend her." Hector hedged.

"What are you getting at? I don't see why I can't do both. Euphy's nice." He countered.

"Princess Euphemia is sixteen. Girls her age are silly when it comes to things like chivalry and you just dropped everything and hopped continents for the sole purpose of protecting her. It wouldn't be strange for her to become overly fond of you . . . more so than she already is." Hector said crisply.

"I came because Lelouch called me. I had no idea that he wanted me to protect her."

"But she did." Hector replied. "Just keep in mind who she is. Even if she's playing commoner at school, she's still the Third Princess of Britannia. She's next in line to the throne after Lelouch."

It was strange hearing it that way. On some level, just knowing Lelouch was a prince set him apart. But hearing it like that, acknowledging that there was a chance that Lelouch could one day become the Emperor of Britannia, twisted the idea. Lelouch would probably make a good monarch, but he couldn't really picture Euphy in the same position.

"I understand. I know my place." He said firmly, annoyed with the assumption.

"You're sworn to Lelouch." Hector said.

"I know." He replied, annoyance growing as he wondered where this conversation was going.

"The reason you were inducted into his Royal Guard before being given this assignment is to release you from any order Princess Euphemia might give you. The situation is complicated and Lelouch has asked me to bring you up to speed on everything that has happened." His brother said, flipping open the folder.

He didn't like the sound of this. He couldn't imagine Euphy ordering him to do anything that Lelouch wouldn't have approved of. From what he understood, they both cared about each other and got along well.

"First, as pertaining to you assignment, you are to try to keep Princess Euphemia away from Kallen Stadtfeld in as subtle a manner as possible. If contact is unavoidable, you must limit it. Lelouch has discovered that she's had contact with some of the terrorists. While it would be easy enough to be rid of her, he's ordered us to leave her be and observe only. You understand? Don't blow your cover and don't hint that you know what she is. Lelouch wants to use her, so don't ruin it for him."

"Okay. I got it." He said defensively.

"You're also responsible for watching out for the rest of Lelouch's friends, if possible. The members of the Student Council are important to him, but Princess Euphemia comes first. Now, onto things you need to know as a member of his Royal Guard.

"Lelouch discovered upon returning to Pendragon after our victory in Area Eighteen, that Princess Cornelia had betrayed him. I don't know the details or how Lelouch managed to talk his way out of it, but he said she'd told the Emperor he was plotting treason in an attempt to get him executed." His brother reported while Lukas' muscles grew more and more tense with every word.

"It's possible that Princess Cornelia brought Princess Euphemia along as a means to get close to Lelouch and probe his weaknesses."

"Euphy's not like that." He protested.

"I assure you, Cornelia is. I watched her throw away the lives of countless men in Area Eighteen without so much as flinching. I wouldn't put it past her to use her sister to slip past Lelouch's defences. You must not assume that just because Lelouch has chosen to protect Princess Euphemia, that she is on his side. Since Lelouch has made himself the primary target of every terrorist in the country, we've all been on high alert for any kind of attempt against him. If he's going to fall, the attack is more likely to come from someone he trusts than from terrorists."

He didn't like the sound of that – didn't like thinking about having to watch the people Lelouch trusted for signs of betrayal and treachery. "Who does he trust the most?" He asked. "Aside from you."

"Kururugi. They're childhood friends, more like brothers, but Lelouch has admitted that Suzaku's trying to get something out of him. What their agreement is, I'm not sure, but I trust him not to turn on Lelouch. He saved all of our hides a couple days back when his highness was targeted by the Kenshiki.

"There's also Edith Cardston – that woman who picked you up from the airport. She's Lelouch's personal assistant. The amount of authority he's given her is almost scary. He's put her in charge of both his public and personal affairs. Almost nothing comes to the prince's attention that doesn't go through her first. I have no reason to suspect her of anything though. She's been serving Lelouch since he first returned to Britannia. She used to be his maid, if you can believe it. Still, don't cross her. She knows how to get things done and I doubt her methods are all above board, if you catch my drift.

"There's also his other Knight. Margrave Gottwald's situation is . . . difficult to explain. He was made Lelouch's Knight due to the prince claiming his life. There was some bad business a while back there with Kururugi. I wasn't here yet when it happened, but I witnessed the fallout. Gottwald is more like Lelouch's pawn than his Knight. He's kept for the sole purpose of using himself as a meat shield, but he doesn't seem to mind. Even with the way the prince sometimes treats him, he's never faltered. Still, he could be biding his time. He used to be the leader of the Purist Faction, a group within the military that believes only nobles should be allowed to pilot Knightmares and that the Numbers shouldn't be allowed to enlist at all. He doesn't particularly like me, but he hasn't done anything to make me suspect him of anything yet.

"Milly Ashford, who you'll probably meet at school, also has the prince's trust. She's his foster sister. They were raised together and she is, apparently, on his side. In any case, she's protecting his secrets, even if it makes her look suspicious."

"What secrets?" Lukas asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Hector frowned, then glanced away out the kitchen window. "Don't ask me about the prince's secrets. I'm not his confidante. If I had to guess, I would say that our prince was steeped in something highly illegal before he returned to the family. It's possible the rumours in the newspapers about him secretly developing weapons with the Ashford Foundation was true, but I don't know."

"Is that how you guys won in Area Eighteen?" Lukas asked curiously. Both civilian newspapers and military reports had never conclusively determined how the prince had turned the MEF's most prized fortification into nothing more than rubble with only a handful of Knightmares in only a couple hours.

"Don't ask me about that either. If I'm sworn to secrecy, I won't break that trust even to you. Now, next and last on the list, and I was going to get into this anyway, is C.C.. There's a couple things that you should probably know, but that no one else would tell you to avoid embarrassment. C.C. is, from what we can tell, Lelouch's mistress. She stays at the house with him but she was keeping herself out of sight when you were there. I don't trust her. Lelouch trusts her to a degree but is unsure of what her motives are. It didn't stop him from taking her to bed, apparently, but he's asked us to keep an eye on her. She's dangerous.

"If she's going to betray him, it will likely happen soon. His wife came to Area Eleven with Princesses Euphemia and Cornelia, which led to a confrontation between the two. Whatever she was hoping to get out of him, her window of opportunity is quickly closing. I would imagine it's only a matter of time before Princess Abigail drives her away."

"His wife isn't listed among the people he trusts?" Lukas asked after a moment of absorbing the information.

"No," Hector said, eyebrows furrowing slightly. "I don't think he even likes her. Though I think the feeling is mostly mutual. It seems it was an arranged marriage."

"Oh." He said awkwardly, though now that he thought about it, it made sense. He still remembered the first time he'd met Lelouch – days late for the beginning of Basic Training because he'd been getting married. And from there, Lelouch had gone straight into AKTP and then had been deployed to Area Eighteen all without returning home even once. He probably should have seen it before that they weren't particularly close.

"You'll have to be careful with her as well. Lelouch's marriage is rocky at best, but it's at it's worst right now. C.C. flaunted their relationship right in front of his wife and she doesn't look like the type of woman to let that slide. Something you should know is that Princess Abigail has the ear of Princess Euphemia. The Third Princess is on her side when it comes to her conflict with Lelouch and C.C.. Don't get caught up in the middle of it.

"It's our duty to stand with Lelouch. I, personally, don't agree with him cheating on his wife, especially not with C.C., but I will never say that again outside of this room. You must always side with Lelouch, that is part of the oath you swore." Hector lectured.

"I understand." He said. He did understand. He'd made that decision a long time ago, before they'd even finished Basic Training. He knew he didn't always see eye to eye with Lelouch and he didn't always approve of the way Lelouch operated – after all, their first time in a Knightmare simulator was all the experience he needed to know that Lelouch did things as he saw fit. Still, he was willing to fall in if it was Lelouch giving the order.

To anyone else, he probably would have fought for his command. But to Lelouch, he had simply let the position as squad leader slip from his fingers and into Lelouch's grasp – if only in an unofficial capacity. Lelouch had that something that he didn't - the charisma to lead, to make people follow him regardless of the consequences.

Lelouch was an excellent commanding officer and he was truly honored that Lelouch had put so much trust in him. It awed him, really, that he'd been personally chosen to protect the half-sister Lelouch cared about most (the prince's own declaration months ago).

Hector sighed and leaned back in his seat for a moment, watching the clock on the kitchen wall behind them for a moment before flipping the folder closed. "Alright, now I'm just your brother, so go get me a beer."

Lukas snorted in amusement as he got up to do as he was told. Not because he was being obedient (normally he would have put up a fight) but rather because he could go for one too.

Hector raised an eyebrow as he returned to the table, but he had no room for complaint. He hadn't even shaken the beer before giving it to him. There was no reason for that look.

"Luke, what's the legal drinking age in Britannia?" His brother asked with a smug grin.

". . . you're kidding." He said incredulously. The legal drinking age of Britannia was twenty-one, but he'd never been asked for his identification before. Generally, people figured that if he was old enough to risk life and limb for his country, he was old enough to intoxicate himself if he wanted to.

"Don't forget that you're posing as Lukas Sims, sixteen year old transfer student at Ashford Academy." Hector replied with a shit eating grin.

"Fuck that." He said as he popped the top in defiance and took a sip.

Hector's foot drove into his shin under the table, causing him to curse again and spill half of the contents of his hard won beer on the pine table top. "Bastard." He growled as Hector deftly snatched the can from his grasp and took a long drink from it. "And this from the guy who used to boot for me." He grumbled as he got up to get a cloth to clean up the mess.

"I only did that once." Hector smirked before handing back the half- empty can and returning to his own beer. "And I was just glad that it was only booze you were after and not something worse."

Lukas didn't respond. He'd done a lot of things he wasn't proud of. He'd also taken a lot of things (just experimenting, really) when he'd found out that his friend Marcel's brother was dealing. But Hector didn't know about any of that and he'd quit before his brother had returned from his first tour of duty to straighten him out.

His silence had to be damning, but Hector knew better than to call him on it. Whatever had happened in the past didn't really matter. They'd reached an understanding the night Hector had bailed him out of jail – the night he'd been planning on murdering that bastard Jason Cox.

"I'm glad I was called out here." He said after a few minutes, sipping thoughtfully on his beer. "It's been a long time since we spent any significant amount of time together, you know. Not since I was just a kid."

"You're still just a kid." Hector snorted, but his smile had softened a bit. "But you're not quite as annoying as you used to be."

* * *

AN: . Look at me crank out these updates. :D Please review. I think I really like Lukas now that I've spent a bit more time in his head. I have a whole series of scenes I want to write from his pov so you'll probably see more sidestories with him as the star in the future.


	4. Chapter 4

Sidestory 4

~ Takes place after Chapter 68 ~

Lelouch was going to hate him. He felt sick with the knowledge. Everything that could have gone wrong had. His only saving grace was that Euphy had managed to survive. But that was no thanks to him.

He wasn't surprised that Lelouch had assigned Suzaku and the Knight of Three to Euphy's protection. He would have done the same if he'd been Lelouch. Precious people weren't things that could be replaced. Once they were gone, they were gone for good and Euphy was Lelouch's most precious sister.

He would probably be expelled from the Royal Guard.

He felt sick. His insides were writhing uneasily as he sat staring at his feet in the sitting room outside Euphy's bedroom. It wasn't due to thoughts about his punishment that had his stomach roiling but rather due to guilt and his own sense of pure inadequacy.

Lelouch shouldn't have assigned him as a bodyguard in the first place. He didn't have any kind of experience with it and it wasn't something he'd been specially trained to do. He was a Knight and a pilot.

Even still, he could pick out all of the mistakes he'd made with ease. He should have simply grabbed Euphy and ran instead of trying to herd all five of the Ashford students out of the hotel without grabbing attention. He should have killed the terrorists in the elevator before breaking into a hotel suite on a different floor and hiding the Student Council there. It would have been easy enough to have contacted Lelouch from there using the land line.

And he should have never ever let them take Euphy from him. That had to have been the biggest mistake he'd made, but even now he wasn't sure how he could have prevented it without getting them all shot.

He glanced at the clock, grimacing when he noticed it was quarter after midnight. "Would Lelouch still be awake?" He asked Suzaku. He assumed the Knight would know, considering he lived in the prince's villa.

"Probably." Suzaku replied with a sympathetic smile.

He didn't need sympathy right now. He'd fucked up and no one was accusing him of it. Lelouch at least wouldn't forgive his incompetence. Not after they'd nearly lost Euphy.

"I'm gonna go see him." He said, pushing himself to his feet and revelling in the pain that twinged from his leg wound. It was well deserved.

"Sure." Suzaku nodded. "He'll probably be up for another hour yet."

The Knight of Three only watched him quietly as he went, though it was impossible not to catch the sympathetic wince the Round made. But judging from the conversation he'd overheard earlier between Gino and Suzaku, Gino wasn't exactly in the prince's good graces either.

He limped his way out of the vi Britannia house and walked. Princess Cornelia had bought a house that was close to Lelouch's. In fact, they were on the same street and only a few blocks away from each other.

It took him half an hour to hobble up to the gate of Lelouch's estate where he was promptly disarmed even despite being a member of Lelouch's Royal Guard. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to take that as a message, or if they did that to everyone since he'd only been here once before and that time he'd entered with Edith.

Speaking of the prince's assistant, she met him at the front door still awake alert as though it wasn't the middle of the night.

"Sir Zimmerman." She greeted. "I've alerted Lelouch of your arrival. He'll meet with you shortly. You can wait in the sitting room over here." She said, leading the way through the main floor to a small sitting room decorated with white couches and orchids.

"Was he asleep?" He asked. He'd feel even worse if he'd actually woken Lelouch up for this.

She smiled ruefully. "No. He's in his study."

He nodded and eased himself down onto the couch, feeling distinctly uncomfortable when the woman continue to hover in the doorway.

"Thank you." She said eventually. "If not for your quick thinking, we wouldn't have known about the hotel-jacking until they'd made their demands. Things could have been so much worse. And you protected Lelouch's most precious friends. I'm sure he appreciates it."

He didn't respond, instead glaring a hole through the carpet between his feet. He didn't need gratitude any more than he needed sympathy. Lelouch had set him a task and he'd failed. There wasn't a good thing about it.

Edith left and ten minutes later Lelouch came in. He pushed himself to his feet before sinking to his knee in front of the prince. Lelouch let out a heavy, annoyed sigh in response.

"What are you doing, Lukas?" Lelouch asked dryly, as though this were the most idiotic thing in the world.

"I'm waiting for my punishment, your highness." he answered, stumbling a little over how to address the prince. At the moment, he didn't feel like he had the right to address Lelouch informally.

"Euphy is safe and unharmed. My friends are safe and more or less unharmed. The rest of the hostages are safe and unharmed. What exactly do you need to be punished for?" Lelouch asked.

"I failed to prevent Euphy and your friends from going into a dangerous situation. And I was separated from Euphy. Hell, she was practically handed over to the terrorists on a silver platter. I fucked up. I failed." He insisted.

There was a long silence before Lelouch spoke. "You're actually a bit of a masochist, aren't you? I thought that might be the case back when we were both still in Basic. Do you remember that time I lost it during unarmed combat practice and you never said anything in criticism?"

He nodded. He did remember that. It was the first time Lelouch had ever genuinely attacked him. He wasn't sure what kind of mental loophole Lelouch had run himself through to get him to that point, but it had been a little scary to see normally composed Lelouch so out of control.

"You laughed it off saying that Hector used to hit you way harder." The prince continued. "That was a warning sign, wasn't it?"

He couldn't tell if Lelouch was angry with him or just annoyed.

"You won't be satisfied if I just send you back like this, will you?" Lelouch asked and finally it was a question he felt he could answer. He nodded mutely.

He _wouldn't_be satisfied if his mistakes were swept under the rug just because he was friends with Lelouch. He'd always known that he couldn't remain just Lelouch's friend forever. That there would come a point in time when the line would have to be drawn between fiend and subordinate. As a friend, Lelouch had the right to simply forgive him. But as Lelouch's subordinate, he simply couldn't. It would set a standard and make Lelouch look weak.

"Fine." Lelouch said sharply as he began unbuttoning his jacket. Even at this time of night, Lelouch was fully dressed and looked like he could step out into a press conference or an audience with the Emperor without delay. "Stand up."

He did as he was told, his leg twinging painfully as Lelouch removed his cufflinks, setting them on top of the discarded jacket before rolling up his sleeves. He didn't expect the punch Lelouch threw at his face to actually hurt much, so he was surprised when it did. Either someone had been teaching the prince, or he was genuinely angry.

"Lelouch!" A woman's voice screeched from the door as he staggered back a step from the force of the blow. He looked quickly to the door to find Lelouch's wife staring at them aghast in a white terrycloth robe. "What are you doing?"

Lelouch let out a long, slow breath as he flexed his fingers. "Abigail, this doesn't concern you. Go back upstairs." He said calmly without even looking at the woman.

"Like hell, I will." She retorted angrily. "Do you even know how much he means to Euphy? Restrain yourself for her sake at the very least."

Well, he wasn't sure exactly how much he meant to Euphy at the moment. It was easy to cling to someone when you were scared and he still vividly remembered the way she'd defied his every insistence and struggled out of his grasp. She was probably still mad at him.

"We had an agreement about you keeping out of my business, didn't we?" Lelouch asked with a frown. Whatever the agreement was that they'd come to, it was enough to shut her up.

She glared but held in the rest of her tirade. "Good night then, Lelouch. And you, Lukas."

It was strange being addressed by her. He'd never spoken to her before, though he knew that Euphy contacted her almost every day by phone. "Good night, Princess Abigail." He said, bowing politely despite the state he had to be in.

Lelouch waited for her to go before continuing. "I'll be honest with you, I'm more angry that you came here for something so ridiculous than I am about the hotel jacking. You are only one person and I've put you in charge of protecting five of the people most important to me. I understand when you're outnumbered that there's nothing you can do. Your restraint and inaction likely saved them, rather than provoking the terrorists. So I don't blame you. Now, forget about this and get the hell back to protecting my sister!"

He grimaced. "I understand. Good night, Lelouch."

It was vindication of a sort, though it still did nothing to quell the guilt burning a hole through his chest. Even if Lelouch forgave him because the odds hadn't been stacked in his favor, it didn't change the fact that he had failed. He would have to do better. From now on he would have to ensure that he never made a mistake again. If he did, he'd ask Lelouch to remove him from Euphy's guard detail. He would have to prove that he was worthy of the honor of protecting Lelouch's sister.

* * *

AN: Hope you enjoyed another snippet of sidestory. Don't forget to leave a review.


	5. Chapter 5

Sidestory 5

*takes place around Chapter 83-ish area*

Lukas was emphatically grateful that Euphy had been sent away. He'd managed to kick the infection but now the skin grafts had come into play and that was a whole new story. He himself got squeamish when they took the bandages off and he could see that yes, that really was the state of his arm. That was a part of his body, raw red flesh - a colour that should never be exposed. He could only imagine how disturbing it would have been to Euphy.

He sighed heavily, still bedridden. He was more than sick of these four walls. Even the view out the window sucked since in looked right into the side of the parkade next door and he was so sick of daytime television he wanted to scream and rip his hair out.

His days were comprehensively boring. He found that the only time he looked forward to was when Euphy would call him in the mornings. The rest of the day was a waste of time. He wished he could just fast forward through it all. It would make the healing process so much more bearable. Unfortunately, even despite all the pain killers they were pumping full of, there was only so much he could sleep before he inevitably found himself awake again and with nothing to do.

He toyed with the idea of pushing the call button. At least he'd have someone to talk to if he pushed it, but the last time he'd done it the nurse had condescendingly told him that it was not a toy and was only to be used for emergencies. But hell, even another reprimand was preferable to the idea of five more hours of nothingness before it got dark enough in his room for him to fall asleep naturally.

So he pushed it.

About two minutes later, according to the clock on the wall, a nurse entered his room. They needed to work on their response time. He could have died already if it had been a real emergency.

"What seems to be the problem, Mr. Zimmerman?" She asked, expression void of concern or warmth. She was the one that had given him the lecture last time – in her mid-thirties, auburn hair pulled back into a tight bun and horn-rimmed classes over her eyes. Her name was Alison Grayson. He was supposed to call her 'Nurse Grayson'.

"Ah, Alison, I have an itch and I was hoping you could reach it." He lied. It wasn't exactly an emergency, but it was better than saying he was lonely and bored out of his skull. Especially to this bitch.

She sighed. "Where?"

For a moment he thought it might be funny to allude to somewhere inappropriate, but then decided that he didn't want her anywhere near his nether regions and nodded towards the back of his shoulder instead.

She scratched his shoulder, then quirked her eyebrow at him in silent enquiry; was she done with this menial task yet? "Nope, you missed it. It's lower. . . no, to the left more. Too far. Up a little bit."

She got tired of the game after about twenty seconds. "You're bored." She observed.

"What was your first clue?" He retorted with an eye roll.

"You haven't had very many visitors."

"Yeah, but you have to admit that the ones I have had are pretty spectacular." He bragged. Two members of the royal family was nothing to turn his nose up at, though he still didn't know what to think of waking up to find Princess Cornelia looming over him.

"Where's your family?" She asked.

"Working. Well, my brother is. Mom's back in the homeland. I didn't tell her I got hurt. She'd just worry." He answered.

"You should have told her. And your brother should have at least come to visit you. No job is more important than family." She said firmly. She was probably carrying some baggage about the issue and, frankly, he didn't want to hear about.

"He's the Captain of Prince Lelouch's Royal Guard." He answered in a deadpan. "That's a bit more important than playing nursemaid for me."

She pursed her lips, but didn't comment. He marked it down as a victory.

"So," He continued, changing the subject to something more beneficial. "Isn't me being bored out of my mind detrimental to my mental health?"

"Do you think so?" The nurse asked.

"I don't know. You're the health care professional, that's why I'm asking you. Can't I die of boredom, or something?" He asked. Yes, he was being obnoxious, but he was rarely given the chance to be these days.

"No." She deadpanned.

"Are you sure?"

"Very. Now, it that all, Mr. Zimmerman?" She asked.

"Actually, it's _Sir_ Zimmerman. I suppose I should have corrected you before. I'm a Knight, you know."

"_Sir_ Zimmerman, are you done now?"

"Not yet." He smirked.

"I cannot allow you to monopolize my time. I have other patients under my care." She said firmly.

"Fine. Fine, go." He sighed melodramatically. "Go give the guy next door a sponge bath while I waste away in here from a lack of mental stimulation."

"I'll find you a cross word puzzle." She grumbled as she made her way towards the door, but before she could disappear through it, someone knocked from the other side.

"Come in." He called, frowning. The nurses didn't knock, but he wasn't expecting any visitors.

The girl standing in the door was probably around his age – probably an intern or something – and looked very unsure of herself as she poked her head into the room.

"Um, are you Lukas Zimmerman?" She asked.

"That's me." He answered, giving her a half wave with his good arm.

However, instead of directing her next sentence to him, the girl turned to the nurse instead. "Nurse Grayson, I know his file said to block calls except from Princess Euphemia or Prince Lelouch, but there's a man on the phone demanding that he talks to him. He says he's the Captain of Prince Lelouch's Guard. I thought that would be okay to go through."

The first week after the attack, the hospital had been swamped with reporters looking for an interview. It hadn't taken long for them to find out that he was the one who had been with Euphy at the time of the attack. To protect him while he was healing, the hospital had put a visitors ban on his file.

"I'll take it." He interrupted before the nurse could get him back for his earlier annoyances and deny the call. "That's my brother."

"Oh. . ." She said, then patched through the call to the phone that had been set up in his room.

"Hello?" He answered, waving his hand to dismiss the nurse and her underling. Nurse Grayson rolled her eyes at him, but let herself out of the room with the intern following close behind.

"Hey, Luke. It's Hector."

"Yeah, I kind of figured when the girl handed over the phone saying it was the Captain of Lelouch's Royal Guard."

Hector chuckled softly. "Apparently some reporter already tried to get to you by claiming to be your brother so I was supposed to have to call Lelouch and get him to verify my identity before they were going to let me talk to you. I kind of had to bully her a bit to get her to patch me through."

"Well you always were a bully." He joked.

"This from the delinquent?" Hector asked. "But seriously, how are you feeling? You sound way more coherent than last time."

Last time had been mere days after the attack, when he'd been pumped full of painkillers and running a fever. Well, now he was still pumped full of painkillers, but at least the fever was gone. "Okay. But whoever invented skin grafts was one sadistic bastard. Doc says I should get full mobility back, though the scars will be pretty fantastic."

"Good. I'm glad. Better than the predictions they gave me last time. I thought you might lose your arm." Hector said, audibly relieved.

"Yeah, I was worried about it too. How would I have been able to have my rematch with Kururugi with only one arm?"

Hector chuckled. "True. Have you seen Lelouch lately?"

Lukas shifted uncomfortably. "Nah. He showed up right after the attack, but I asked him not to come back. He kept giving me this pathetic 'It's all my fault' look that was starting to piss me off. He said he'd have a formal uniform and a position in his entourage for me when I get out. Sounds like a sweet deal to me.

"Not that I didn't like protecting Euphy!" He clarified quickly, "It's just that I'm better trained for taking out terrorists than I am for protecting princesses."

"You don't have to justify it, Luke. I know you did everything you could to protect the princess and that you'd have continued protecting her if you could." Hector said.

"Yeah . . . yeah, that's right." He said, nodding to himself. He would have done anything to keep Euphy safe. Hector sighed on the other end of the line and Lukas immediately picked up on it. "You sound tired."

"It was . . . a long day." Hector reluctantly admit.

Lukas hesitated. "Want to talk about it?"

There was a long silence on the other side of the line as his brother considered his response, before another sigh. "There was this kid. . . He couldn't have been more than fifteen and he didn't really do anything wrong, he was just trying to protect his mother. Anyway, he pulled a gun and shot at me, missed me by a mile, but I had no choice but to take him down hard."

"What's his condition now?" Lukas asked.

"He's in the hospital, but he should get out in a few." Hector admit, though whether he meant a few days or a few weeks wasn't readily apparent. "Fuck, I hate dealing with civilians."

"I know. That's rough, but I'm glad you're okay." He said reassuringly. He didn't know all the details, but he'd heard enough from Roy one Christmas when he'd come to visit to know that Hector's first deployment had been against civilian teenagers that had taken up arms against Britannia's invasion. And he knew Hector had never gotten over it.

"I hope Lelouch knows what he's doing. He's on a slippery slope, punishing civilians for the actions of their family members."

Lukas sighed. "Are you going to talk to him about it?"

"Probably.

"What if it pisses him off? Having his own Captain doubt him . . ." He left the question hanging.

Lelouch was pretty reasonable most of the time. And even when he had the right to be mad, he didn't always go for it. But the Kenshiki had targeted Euphy and the students of Ashford Academy specifically, and he was pretty sure he'd never seen the prince so pissed off. So he really couldn't predict how Lelouch would react to anything concerning this whole big mess.

"He's not going to lynch me for voicing my opinion. He said on day one that if we had something to say to just say it."

"You're sure?" He asked.

"I'm sure."

It wasn't that he was doubting Lelouch, it was just that he knew what it was like to want revenge. He knew what it was like to be so blinded by the need to hurt someone who had wronged him that everything else faded into the background. So he didn't really want Hector stumbling into the middle of that. But then again, it might be a good thing. If there was one thing his brother was good it, it was talking sense into people.

* * *

AN: Something to tide you over while I finish up the next chapter of Dauntless. It's more than halfway written already, so it should be up within the next couple days.

Hope you enjoyed this sidestory in the meantime. Don't forget to leave me a review!

Also, if anyone knows anything about making websites, can you message me? It's been suggested that I create a Dauntless website where all of the chapters, fanarts and fanfictions can be lumped together in one spot. Only problem is that I have no idea how to do that. lol.

Allora


	6. Chapter 6

Sidestory 6

~Takes place during Chapter 88 ~

It would have to be him.

Hector let out another slow breath, forcing himself to remain calm and forcing himself not to dredge up memories of oppressive humid heat, kids with machine guns and the sandal-clad feet of a corpse in his hand as he dragged the bodies into a pile out of the way of further operations. This wasn't Thirteen. This wasn't anything like Thirteen.

Lelouch wasn't that heartless.

Still, it would have to be him. He would have to be the one that apprehended Saito. Lelouch might have said that he didn't need to prove his loyalty, but the fact still remained that he had questioned orders from Lelouch. For the first time since they'd met, he'd vocally opposed Lelouch's plans for reasons other than the prince's safety. And worse, he'd discussed his opposition with two other members of Lelouch's Royal Guard.

Both Roy and Lukas knew exactly how he felt about this whole operation. And even now, even though he knew it was all smoke and mirrors, watching them be slaughtered on national television still brought bile to his throat.

So yes, it would have to be him. He would have to be the one to bring Saito to Lelouch because it was the only way he'd be able to redeem himself to the prince. The only way to prove that he was still loyal. That he would do whatever it took, whatever Lelouch needed, regardless of his personal feelings about he matter.

Hopefully it would be enough to solidify their trust.

When the first explosion ripped through the perimeter, he didn't rush wildly into the fray like so many of the other soldiers in attendance. Instead, he waited for another minute, watching the confusion through the monitor behind the stage, scanning the faces of the Elevens that were gunning their way in through the reporters and the soldiers in the plaza. There was only one face he needed. There was only one terrorist that he had to reach at all cost.

He caught a glimpse of the man's face. He'd seen it enough times on the television to be recognizable. Tatsuhiro Saito stood near the back of his charging comrades, urging them forward into the open. Urging them to continue firing indiscriminately, bringing down reporters left and right. Most of them would have bulletproof vests on underneath their clothes, but there would inevitably be some casualties here too.

"Let's go, Roy." He said gruffly as he made note of Saito's position.

"Yeah." His friend said darkly.

* * *

AN: Yup, this is tiny, but I just wanted to give you all a peek into what was going through Hector's head when he rushed off after Saito.


	7. Chapter 7

Sidestory 7

~Takes place during Chapter 92~

Abigail twirled the end of her hair between her fingers as her eyes skimmed over the documents that had been placed in front of her. All of Lelouch's day to day management laid out in front of her and she still couldn't quite fathom how he managed to stay on top of it all while still performing his military duties and everything else. So on that front, she believed that having a board of advisers to go through all of this minutiae on his behalf was a good idea. But this board?

No way.

Though she did finally understand why Lelouch had been willing to surrender to her just to get her on the board. She was there to keep the peace, though what Lelouch had been thinking when he'd recruited these people she couldn't even fathom.

The Elevens were automatic write offs. Token gestures to show his benevolent side. She got that, though why on Earth he'd decided on a little girl wrapped in foreign silks, she couldn't understand. As if Lelouch would actually take the advice of a child. Even she herself was too young to act as an adviser in her opinion. But again, that wasn't her purpose here. The other Eleven lacked the confidence to make an impact on the rest of the board, so he was a write off as well. He might be smart, but he lacked charisma.

Which brought her to her true purpose within this board. She really, honestly, couldn't believe that Lelouch had put James and Lord Mars in the same room together. Everyone knew that they hated each other. Lord Mars opposed everything that Duke Hamilton embodied. Their dislike of each other had come to a point last year when Lord Mars had called the Duke an 'exploitative, money-grubbing cad' to the man's face in front of witnesses at a social gathering. Since then, she doubted they'd even seen each other, let alone been expected to work together.

Worse still, Lelouch had dragged Stephen Albertson into the council as well. She wasn't sure if Lelouch just hadn't bothered to read the notes she'd left for him on the complicated web of noble relations, or if he was doing this on purpose. Though if that were the case, he might as well just not have bothered.

Mr. Albertson would never vote on an issue that opposed Duke Hamilton because Duke Hamilton was a major financial backer of AC Enterprises and owned majority shares of the company. Anything that might compromise their working relationship would be avoided at all costs by Albertson, therefore James essentially had two votes on any decision that might require input.

Which basically left Duke Calares, who had been doing this job on his own without issue for months now. She liked Calares. He was a very prudent and practical man, if a bit serious. He'd had no problem running Lelouch's administration. In fact, it was most likely that Calares would have been named Viceroy in his own right had Lelouch never returned to Area Eleven.

So she wasn't sure why Lelouch was willing to trade in the quiet efficiency of a one-man proxy like Calares, for the inevitable inefficient bickering of this council. Unless Calares had done something to displease him, but she doubted that since he'd still put the Duke in charge of the council.

She sighed, trying to drown out the argument James and Lord Mars were having across the table. Lelouch laughed it off, easily mediating for the two before suggesting that they break for lunch. She followed Lelouch out of the boardroom even despite the fact that he was clearly discussing something that displeased him with his Knights.

"Lelouch." She called after him when he was in the corridor.

He paused and turned back immediately, whereas just weeks ago he might have just ignored her completely. "Abigail, what's up?" He asked as she joined their group.

"Where are you going? You can't leave. James and Mars will rip each other apart if you're not there to keep them civil." She protested.

"Sorry." He said with a small, apologetic smile before pressing a kiss against her forehead. "Something came up at the base. I'll be back soon."

She didn't know what hurt more, knowing that this was all just an act or knowing that if he'd acted like this from the start he could have completely fooled her and wrapped her around his finger. She hadn't honestly expected him to agree to her terms. She'd expected him to completely blow her off and never bring up the board of advisers again, but her father had been hounding her lately so she'd thought she ought to at least put in a token effort. She was probably more surprised than anyone that it had paid off.

She sighed heavily. "Hurry back then."

"I will." He said, squeezing her hand. "Let them argue in their free time if they want, as long as it doesn't interfere with business. I'll be back soon. Until then, treat it as a luncheon and entertain them."

Jeremiah sent her a sympathetic glance as he fell back into step beside Lelouch as they continued down the corridor as if she'd never delayed them. She watched them go before sighing quietly to herself and turning back toward the boardroom. Servants had come up with platters of lunch while she'd been gone. With luck, the distraction of food would be enough to entertain them, because she really wasn't sure if she was up to the task of keeping the peace no matter how much faith Lelouch had in her.

* * *

AN: I wrote this a while ago but didn't upload it with the intention of adding to it. But I figure this works well enough as an insight into the group dynamics of the council from Abigail's pov.

In other news, my computer is having harddrive problems. I managed to get my stories off of it and onto google drive, but it won't let me open Dauntless to work on it, I'm assuming because it's too big so it's difficult to work on, though I might just start the next chapter in a new document. In the meanwhile, the next chapter of WMD should be posted by this weekend.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed.

Allora


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